How to Report a Landlord in South Carolina: Agencies and Steps

To report a landlord in South Carolina, file a complaint with the agency that matches your problem: the Department of Consumer Affairs for most disputes and security deposits, the Human Affairs Commission for discrimination, your local code enforcement office for unsafe conditions, or HUD if you live in federally subsidized housing. Before you contact any of them, give your landlord written notice of the problem and keep proof they received it. That single step often decides whether your complaint moves forward or stalls.

Send Written Notice Before You File Anywhere

Most tenants skip this and regret it later. South Carolina’s Residential Landlord and Tenant Act treats written notice to the landlord as a prerequisite for most remedies. Under the statute, you waive the right to raise a landlord’s failure to maintain the premises if the landlord had no notice at least fourteen days before rent was due for non-essential repairs, or a reasonable time for essential services like heat and running water.¹

Your notice should describe the problem clearly, state when you first noticed it, and ask the landlord to fix it. Send it by certified mail with return receipt requested so you have a signed record of delivery.² Keep a copy. If the landlord ignores it or fails to fix the issue within a reasonable time, that letter becomes the foundation for every complaint that follows.

Know What Your Landlord Is Required to Do

A complaint only works if the law actually requires what you’re asking for. Section 27-40-440 requires your landlord to follow building and housing codes affecting health and safety, keep the unit fit and livable, maintain common areas, provide running water, hot water, and heat (unless the heating system is under your exclusive control and connected to a public utility), and keep major systems and included appliances working.³

Any appliance in the unit when you moved in is presumed to be the landlord’s responsibility unless your lease specifically excludes it, and the landlord cannot exclude appliances that provide essential services. For a single-family home, the landlord and tenant can agree in writing that the tenant will handle certain maintenance, but the agreement must be made in good faith rather than as a workaround.³

Gather Your Documentation

Before you contact any agency, pull the following together:

A full copy of your lease, including any addendums signed after move-in.
The written notice you sent the landlord, along with the certified mail receipt.
A dated timeline of every conversation, text, email, and voicemail about the issue. Write down what was said in phone calls and in-person conversations.
Photos and video with timestamps, ideally showing the same problem across multiple dates so you can prove it persisted.
Any written repair promises the landlord made and did not keep.

Be specific when you describe the dispute. “The kitchen faucet has leaked since March 4 and the plumber promised on March 10 never showed up” is more useful to an investigator than “the landlord won’t fix things.” The Department of Consumer Affairs form asks for the landlord’s business name and mailing address, a description of the dispute, and what you want the landlord to do.⁴

Match the Problem to the Right Agency

Filing with the wrong agency can mean weeks of waiting only to be told to start over. Route your complaint by what’s actually wrong.

Department of Consumer Affairs

The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs handles most landlord-tenant disputes: lease disagreements, unmade repairs, and security deposit problems. The agency mediates between you and the landlord, aiming for a resolution short of court.⁵

Security deposit complaints are among the most common. South Carolina gives your landlord thirty days after you move out, return possession, and request the deposit to either return it or send you an itemized list of deductions. If the landlord wrongfully withholds it, you can sue for three times the amount withheld plus attorney’s fees.⁶ Filing with Consumer Affairs first often pushes a landlord to settle without litigation.

Human Affairs Commission

If the problem involves discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability, contact the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. You have 180 days from the discriminatory act to file, and missing that deadline means the Commission cannot investigate.⁷

Start by contacting a Housing Intake Investigator by phone at (803) 737-7800, by mail at 1026 Sumter Street, Suite 101, Columbia, SC 29201, or in person. The investigator will help determine whether your situation qualifies and, if it does, prepare a formal complaint for you to sign.⁷

Local Code Enforcement

When the problem is a broken furnace, plumbing failure, structural damage, or another physical condition that makes the unit unsafe, your local code enforcement office or health department is the right destination. These offices enforce building and housing codes at the city or county level. An inspector may visit to verify the violation and can order the landlord to correct it.

Contact information varies by jurisdiction. Search for “[your city or county] code enforcement” to find the right office. Some accept complaints online; others require a phone call or in-person visit.

HUD for Subsidized Housing

If you live in Section 8, public housing, or another federally subsidized unit, you can also file directly with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. HUD inspects subsidized properties under the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate, which cover smoke alarms, electrical systems, mold, pests, and structural integrity, among other conditions.⁸

You can report online at hud.gov, call 1-800-669-9777, or mail a written complaint to your regional HUD office.⁹ Provide your name and address, the landlord’s information, a description of the problem, and the relevant dates. For discrimination in subsidized housing, you have one year from the discriminatory act to file with HUD, longer than the 180-day state window.

EPA for Lead Paint in Older Housing

Federal law requires landlords of homes built before 1978 to disclose known lead-based paint hazards before you sign the lease. If your landlord skipped that disclosure, or you suspect deteriorating lead paint, you can report the violation to the EPA through their online reporting tool or by calling the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.¹⁰ This matters most in older rentals where children live.

Submit and Keep Proof

The Department of Consumer Affairs takes complaints two ways. The online portal at consumer.sc.gov lets you file and upload documents any time, and it gives you direct messaging with your assigned analyst. You can also download the paper form and mail it in.⁵

Whatever you mail — to Consumer Affairs, the Human Affairs Commission, or code enforcement — send it by certified mail with return receipt requested. The return receipt gives you a signed record showing the delivery date and address if anyone later claims the filing never arrived.² If you file online, screenshot the confirmation page. Label every attachment with your name, the date, and a brief description; agencies process hundreds of complaints, and unnamed files get lost during intake.

Your Landlord Cannot Legally Retaliate

Many tenants hold off on filing because they expect their landlord to raise the rent or start an eviction. South Carolina law addresses this directly. Under Section 27-40-590, a landlord cannot retaliate by raising rent above fair market value, reducing essential services, or filing an eviction because you exercised your legal rights, including filing a complaint with a government agency.¹¹

If you suspect retaliation, document the timing. A rent increase or eviction notice that follows shortly after a filing or inspection creates a strong inference. Keep copies of your complaint, any inspection reports, and every subsequent communication from the landlord. That paper trail is what makes a retaliation claim hold up.

What Happens After You File

You’ll usually receive an acknowledgment with a case number and the name of an assigned analyst or investigator. The Department of Consumer Affairs then contacts your landlord, shares the complaint, and tries to mediate a resolution. The agency is a neutral go-between rather than your advocate, but the involvement of a state agency alone often prompts action.

For code enforcement complaints, an inspector may schedule a site visit. Confirmed violations typically produce a notice to correct with a deadline, and failure to comply can bring fines or further enforcement. For discrimination complaints, the Human Affairs Commission assigns an investigator who interviews both parties and reviews the evidence; if the investigation finds reasonable cause, the case moves to conciliation or a formal hearing.

When You Need Court Instead

Agency complaints work well for pressuring an unresponsive landlord, but they don’t award you money. If the landlord’s failure to maintain the unit cost you money — temporary housing, damaged belongings, medical bills — you may need to file in magistrate court.

South Carolina magistrate courts hear landlord-tenant disputes, and smaller claims don’t require a lawyer. If the landlord sues for unpaid rent or tries to evict, you can raise the failure to maintain as a defense and file a counterclaim for your damages. Willful neglect can also support recovery of attorney’s fees.¹²

One caution: do not withhold rent without a court order or specific legal guidance. South Carolina does not have a broad repair-and-deduct statute, and stopping rent payments on your own can give the landlord grounds to evict you for nonpayment even when the unit has serious problems. If conditions are bad enough that you believe rent should be reduced, file your complaint and talk to an attorney or your local legal aid office before you stop paying.

1
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 27, Chapter 40 – Residential Landlord and Tenant Act – Section 27-40-640
2
USPS. Return Receipt – The Basics
3
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 27, Chapter 40 – Residential Landlord and Tenant Act – Section 27-40-440
4
South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Consumer Complaint Form Instructions
5
South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Consumer Complaints
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 27-40-410 – Security Deposits; Prepaid Rent
7
South Carolina Human Affairs Commission. How to File a Housing Complaint
8
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. NSPIRE Standards
9
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Report Housing Discrimination
10
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Report Lead-Based Paint Complaints, Tips and Violations
11
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 27, Chapter 40 – Residential Landlord and Tenant Act – Section 27-40-590
12
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code Title 27, Chapter 40 – Residential Landlord and Tenant Act – Section 27-40-610